ARN Rattlesnake
ARN ''Rattlesnake'' was a 20 gun sloop-of-war of the Aclarian Royal Navy, ordered in 1719, laid down in 1710, and began its first voyage in 1712. She is renowned for her role in the War of the Void, being the only ship to never receive military casualties despite participating in the Battle for Westport, Battle of St James, and the Battle of Manaheim. She served as the flagship of Captain Austin Henderson until 1720, and then Captain Maradeim Xyrdan until 1721; the only elf to ever reach the rank of Captain in the Aclarian Royal Navy. Construction In the outbreak of the War of the Void between Aclaria and Vuskoubar, the Aclarian High Command needed a fast ship to undertake covert operations behind enemy territory, as well as to transport goods to its ally, the elvish nation of Esmana. The Aclarian Royal Shipyard was tasked with designing a small ship that was faster than any other ship of her class, with as small a profile as possible. The outcome was the Rattlesnake. ''With a top speed of 19 knots, and a slim profile (about 8m from waterline to bottom of mainmast), she was capable of delivering on the Aclarian High Command's needs. She was laid down May 12th, 1710, with the hull being constructed out of mahogany, the most abundant type of wood in Aclaria. She finished construction on May 7th, 1712, and after passing all launch checks, was floated out a week after, on May 14th, 1712. She made her first voyage to Manaheim, where she would be placed under the command of Captain Austin Henderson. Early Service Battle for Westport (July 7th-9th, 1718 ''Rattlesnake participated in the Battle of Westport, after receiving word that a large fleet of Vuskoubari ships had amassed just a few kilometers from the coast. Having just delivered cargo to Westport, Rattlesnake was tasked with screening the fleet to ensure no hostile action was taken. Tensions between Aclaria and Vuskoubar had reached a all-time high weeks before the battle, with Vuskoubari leaders delivering an ultimatum to the Aclarian King Windsor II on July 6th, 1718, demanding that the island of Oscait be returned to their country. When a response to the ultimatum was not delivered the following day, a declaration of war was given and the two nations entered into combat. At 2300 hours, Captain Henderson had finished assessing the fleet, sighting four 3rd-rate ships-of-the-line, as well as nine 5th-rate frigates, all fully armed and staffed. Knowing that Henderson could not take the fleet alone, word was sent to Manaheim, and Rattlesnake docked back at Westport to wait for further instruction. In the following hours, at 0200, the Vuskoubari fleet had blockaded the harbor, trapping Henderson in the port. Still having not received orders from the Aclarian High Command, Henderson gave the order to prepare for battle, but called off the order once reports came in that Vuskoubari troops had landed on the west side of the harbor. Fearing that Vuskoubar may lay siege to the town of Westport, a small crew of six led by Lieutenant Flynn Baxter were sent to infiltrate the Vuskoubari camp to assess the numbers at the fort as well as the amount of cannon. At 0350, the group returned